On Line Bible Study - For the Week of January 10-16, 2011

Lesson 474

Luke 12: ²² Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Don't worry. I think what that really means is this: Don't be afraid. Increasingly in my life I am confronted with the power of fear. We are afraid of growing old, of financial insecurity, of environmental degradation. We are afraid that there won't be enough for ourselves. We are afraid of taxes being higher. We are afraid of gun control. (Two teenagers in Vermont took their lives last week with guns.) We are afraid of too much government, not enough government. We are afraid of our own shadow.

What would your life look like if you could truly accept the two things Jesus is saying in this text from Luke - Do not worry about your life, and Do not be afraid?

Darrell Bock says this section is about trust. In the previous section Jesus told his disciples how foolish it was to trust in wealth and possessions. In this section Jesus tells them what is worth putting their trust in.

Bock comes at this with a kind of spiritual fatalism - Is Jesus suggesting that we are all completely dependent on God anyway, so why bother wasting energy on trusting anything or anyone else? Another facet to this text - note the command quality to it. "Don't worry" is not a suggestion; it is an imperative.

"Consider the ravens ..." Bock tells us that ravens (crows) were unclean and among the least respected of birds in antiquity. If God cares for them, how much more does God care for us?

What are the fears that keep your faith from growing, your trust in God from blossoming?